The End of a Dream
by ThoughtMuseum
Summary: One shot attempting to explain how Dorothy became ESUN president and how Quatre became Instructor W in Frozen Teardrop in my 4xD mind while still preserving canon.


The sun shone brightly through the stained glass of the chapel while a warm breeze lightly ruffled the curtains. The bride sat at a makeshift vanity, hands folded neatly on her lap, staring at her own reflection. Of her platinum blonde locks, not a strand was out of place, cascading down her back in a waterfall of loose waves. Her dress was the purest white satin and fit her snugly, accentuating her curves before flaring out at the hip. The delicate beading of the bodice reflected the light so that it dazzled around the lonely room.

But the perfection of the day went unheeded as her mind was filled with thoughts that betrayed her. She could disappear. She could leave now. As she observed herself in the mirror, she didn't even recognize the person looking back at her. Her mind had been made up long ago. Second thoughts had no place in the present. The Duchess closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet summer air. Another breeze greeted her,  
>caressing her face lightly as if in consolation.<p>

Something else was in the air, a familiar scent that caused her heart to throb. When Dorothy dared to open her eyes, she saw his reflection in the vanity.

For a moment, they watched each other, both preserving the peacefulness that surrounded them. She spoke first, breaking the spell.

"Hello Mr. Winner. I wasn't sure if you'd be able to attend today."

The former Gundam pilot remained stoic, his eyes never leaving her form. His heart was filled with pain and hurt. He had immersed himself in the feelings and found his way here, to confront his love one last time. But looking at her now, the betrayal was killing him, eating away at his soul. Was the love they shared merely a fairy tale? Where had their happy ending gone? Had he known that this was the only conclusion? That this was their grand finale?

"I was never part of your plan, was I Dorothy?"

At last the words overflowed bitterly from his lips. He felt a sense of relief, finally his emotions had somewhere else to go rather than drowning him. The thought manifested itself more as a statement than a question.

The noblewoman was startled by the depth of agony she heard in Quatre's simple words. She had whirled around in her seat on instinct to face him. As soon as she met his eyes, whatever response she had was strangled in her throat, her mouth slightly agape.

Instantly, the sorrowful gaze from her naturally icy eyes pierced through any defenses the Arab thought he had built. He regretted his harsh words, slowly realizing she was suffering the same torment tearing through him.

"I'm sorry, Dorothy."

Acting on impulse, he was kneeling by her side as she remained fixed in her seat. He had taken one of her hands into his own while the other gently stroked her cheek.

"You don't have to... do this."

He couldn't bear to say "marry him". Just the idea was enough to throttle his heart. Marriage was a sacred promise they should be making, vowing to love each other for the rest of their days, raising a family, standing by one another. Quatre's mind was failing, twisting and turning through a maze of suffocating turmoil, searching for that glimmer of truth and hope.

"If you leave with me now we can..."

He stopped as the despair only deepened in her gaze. She shook her head, the beautiful and gentle movement both taking his breath away and plunging him back into chaos. Patiently, he waited for her.

"You know better than anyone else that our lives aren't our own."

Dorothy held his hands tenderly as she spoke. They were warm but trembled as she continued.

"It was a dream Mr. Winner. We were dreaming when we should have been awake."

She paused before her voice could break. Her eyes were glassy with the tears that threatened to spill over their boundaries. She was no longer a woman that couldn't cry, he had made her that way. She loved him and would have only gladly continued to dream with him. But there was reality. It had crept into their blissful reverie without detection with its sinister intentions. It demanded a sacrifice and it would not be ignored, no matter how hard they fought, how long they struggled.

"There's a storm on the horizon Mr. Winner and the universe needs you and I, not us."

Their analytical minds had shown them the future, the reality of this peace. It was merely a matter of time before it would come crashing down. It had been created, in part by them. The sparks of war never fully extinguished. And again, the responsibility fell on their shoulders.

He had hidden from it, denied it, cursed it but it was unavoidable. Dorothy was the one who chose to accept it first. She was stronger, he always knew that. From the day the wheels of fate were set into motion, they were forced apart. A space colonist and an Earth citizen, son of a pacifist and daughter of a general, a Gundam pilot and a Romefeller spy, destiny had doomed them from the beginning. Yet, as if some cosmic joke, the same soul dwelt within them both.

He knew the truth.

"Quatre. I will always love you."

Once again her beauty captivated him. The former soldier was a helpless prisoner to the love reflected in her shimmering blue pools. Instead he captured her lips with his own. He wanted to remember her; her scent, her warmth, her taste, her sound, her softness, her passion, her heartbeat. He wanted to commit her likeness into his memory, every facet of her being. If only time could stop, their kiss could truly last a lifetime.

At last they separated. A lonely tear rebelliously coursed its way down her cheek. Gingerly, he wiped it away for her, taking care not to mar her makeup. The tranquility around them shattered as bells chimed the hour.

"It's time."

Dorothy let go of Quatre's hands and slowly stood. She picked up her matching bouquet on the forgotten table near the door leading to the chapel. All he could do was watch her walk away. He had let go. Standing before the door, she paused. Without looking at him, she spoke with her hand on the brass latch.

"It was a beautiful dream. One I will cherish for the rest of my life. Goodbye, Mr. Winner."

Quatre didn't know how long he stayed there, frozen in his place. He felt weak, as if he had forgotten how to move his body. Somehow he managed to move one foot in front of the other long enough to get back in his car and drive. His destination he didn't know, he didn't care.

Eventually he found himself back in his lonely home, unsure of the next step. He touched his lips and remembered Dorothy, remembered her words. Quatre picked up his phone and dialed.

"Trowa. We were mistaken. The world isn't finished with the Gundams. I need your help."

His voice was lifeless and his heart had hardened just a bit. There was a storm coming and Quatre wasn't about to let their sacrifice go to waste. Closing his eyes and dreaming of the future, he promised her.

"I'll come back for you, Dorothy. Someday, when we're no longer needed, I'll come back for you."

* * *

><p>So, a little depressing for Valentine's Day. Please forgive me. I've had this idea swimming in the back of mind for some time. I wanted to try to fill in the gaps of why Dorothy is president and why Quatre decided to build more Gundams after he thought they weren't needed. Dorothy's part is a little bit of a stretch, can you imagine her in a political marriage with intent to become ESUN president? She could probably have done it by herself but I needed to explain why they weren't together in FT. Overall I'm satisfied with my version and I hope you are as well :P<p>

~KT


End file.
